Quote:
Originally Posted by blue
I'll play anything. Really, I will... IF the price is right. And by right I mean that there is no way I won't at least pay for shipping if I end up re-selling it. I bought an un-refined (from the Ken Parker days) Parker Fly Deluxe in almost mint condition in th early 2000's for under $800. Still not sure I want to keep it... But I play every couple weeks trying to decide 
Legend has it that we can blame Keith Richards for relicing. That he ordered a custom shop Fender as a backup for stage and commented "You make great guitars, but I hate how new they look". Not a exact quote, but the spirit is how it was reported. |
Apparently Keith Richards had something to do with it Yes because he was looking at these new guitars fender had built for the stones upcoming tour but he didn't like how they looked brand new so he personally requested that the builders beat them up to make them look old like the rest of their instruments because Keith thought it would look silly playing an old guitar for a song or two then switching to a brand new shiny one on stage....
But from what i've read online, the real thing that kicked off Fenders relicing craze was they took a couple of prototype guitars with relic finishes to NAMM in 1995 and they put them on display in glass cases like they were pieces of art and everyone who was walking by looking at them thought they were true original vintage guitars and when they found out they were actually brand new instruments everyone was shocked.
Before they knew it, Fender were getting orders for relic guitars coming in left, right and center and it even got to the point where I think I remember reading they had to open up a whole new workshop and it was that workshop that eventually became the Fender custom shop.